It was a
sunny Saturday so
I thought of
doing some shopping.
Having finished my
lunch, I left
for the vegetable
market. It was
a small market.
From distance it
looked like it
was an ocean
of large umbrellas
the sellers used
to keep their
stuff from rain.
While shopping, I
happened to bump
into none-other-than Vidya.
Both of us
were surprised to
see each other.
“You do this
kind of things
by yourself?” She
was the first
to start the
conversation.
“Anything
wrong with doing this
kind of thing?”
I asked.
“No, but. I
thought it was
your maid who
did…”
“Well, I was
free so I…”
“How sweet!” She
beamed. “I can’t
expect something like
this from my
father or brothers.”
She then looked
in my bag
to see what
I had purchased.
We did the
rest of the
shopping together.
“You do your
shopping from here?”
I asked as
she leaned down
to pick carrots
from the basket.
“I had gone
to Ms. Bhoye’s
home, had my
lunch there.” She
continued to pick
carrots while talking.
“I thought of
buying vegetables since
my bus was
late. What about
these cauliflowers?” She
asked as the
vendor put the
carrot in her
plastic bag. The
vendor said the
price and she
tried to bargain
but he wouldn’t
agree with her.
She wasn’t interested
to buy it
on his price.
“What
about the vetch?”
She haggled for
it and the
vendor agreed this
time. I had
my eyes on
her all the
time. When she’s
buying green onions
from elsewhere, her
sari slipped from
her shoulder what
revealed her breast.
For a long
moment, I gaped
at it and
she was clever
enough to notice.
A wily chuckle
flashed on her
lips. While heading
out of the
market, she asked
the same vendor
if he was
ready to sell
the cauliflower on
the price she
had said. He
said ‘no’ with a smile
and she walked
away with a
snort. “How mean!”
I had a
cauliflower in my
bag. For a
second I thought
of giving it
to her but
with a fear
that she’d make
something else out
of it, I
changed my thought.
She
desired to eat Panipuri
as
her eyes saw
a handcart by
the road.
“Will it be
safe to eat
Panipuri in this
season?” I asked.
“I mean they
don’t give a
damn to something
called hygiene.”
“Even I don’t
give it a
damn.” She gave
her nose a
playful lift and hastened towards
the handcart. I had to
follow her. She
told the vendor
to serve them
spicy Panipuri and
eagerly waited to
be served. I
watched her as
she put the
first Panipuri in
her watered mouth
and savoured it
slowly with her
eyes closed. I
just watched her.
She was a
different person today.
Like a child,
she was naughty
yet charming. She
was not what
she was like
while flirting with
me.
She took another
Panipuri and stretched
her hand towards
me.
“I don’t…” I
tried to protest.
“Have it or
I’ll have to
stuff it in
your mouth forcefully,”
she said obstinately
and I had
to eat.
“How’s
that?” She asked.
“Too spicy for
me,” I said
hissing.
“Spicy
food for spicy
people.” She squinted
at me and
winked.
You really are spicy,
I talked to
myself.
She didn’t let
me pay and
we almost quarrelled
on who should
pay. Finally, I
had to surrender.
Girl power. “Nothing’s
like a woman’s
obstinacy.” I tried
to vex her.
She looked ebullient
instead. “Very true.”
“Your
Panipuri might make
my stomach sick,”
I said as
I joined her
to see her
off at the
bus-stop.
“Mine is not that
weak.” She gave
her brows an
unusual lift. I
wondered how she
could change her
expressions so well
with every new
sentence.
“You’ll
have to take
me to the
doctor if I
do get sick.”
I was in
full mood to
tease her.
“Anytime,”
she laughed, and
asked a bit
later. “By the
way, have you
heard about the
leopard attack last
night?”
“A
leopard? Where?” I
was surprised to
know.
“At the village
Kalamkhet,” she said
interestingly. “A couple
was heading to
their village from
the ghat (mountain
pass) at dusk
when the animal, from
behind, attacked the
woman who was
sitting on the
carrier of the
bicycle her husband
was driving.” I
was attentive to
her. “They fell
on the road
and the death
was close but
fortunately the brave
man had a
strong stick with
what he attacked
back on the
leopard. The hungry
animal wouldn’t leave
though. So what
he did was
to take his
shirt off immediately
and set it
on fire with
the matchbox he
had. That made
the devil on
run. Throughout the
encounter the couple
kept screaming to frighten the
beast.”
“My God!” I
was taken aback.
“Brave people, indeed.”
“Oh, yes.” Vidya
was happy telling
me about the
incident.
“If I’m not
mistaken, this is
the third time
the leopard has
attacked this season.
What’s the forest
department doing?”
“They have set
cages around the
jungle but the
animals are not
dumb unless they’re
damn too hungry
to eat the
goat placed inside
the cage as
decoy.”
“There
must be more
than one, don’t
you think so?”
I asked.
“They say there
are four. And
the one that
was seen last
night is the
most fearless of
them. She must
have cubs. May
be that’s why…”
“I don’t think
so. If it
was her and
not him, she
must have attacked
the man!” I
said with a
cunning smile.
Vidya was smart
enough to understand
my wit. She
laughed aloud. And
it started to
rain as if
even the rain
liked to be
our company in
that joyous time.
There was no
place around where
we could take
shelter so we
had to run
not to get wet.
It was the
tree of Pipal
that became our
shelter, but not
for long. It
drizzled through the
sparse grove of
the tree what
left us soaked.
We stood there
talking. I watched
her as she
enjoyed rain. And
all of a
sudden I was
aware that Vidya
never looked so
beautiful. Water was
streaming down her
wet locks that
were spread across
her face. The
silk, sky-blue coloured,
plain sari clung
to her fair
body what made
the slick curves
of her tender
limbs partly visible.
A question sprang
in my mind: How
the hell I didn’t notice
the delicacies of
her body so far? She
was aware with
the fact that
my eyes were
getting glued to
certain parts of her
body again and again. And
most likely she
also wanted so
to be. I
was not sure
if the smile
I had seen
at the end
of her lips
was of a
triumphant sort. It
had started to
blow and she
was shivering of
cold. Everything was
cold: rain, wind,
her body and
me. For the
first time in
years, I longed
for a female
body. She was
right in front
of me. Sultry.
Sensual. Sexy. But I couldn’t
get excited. Had
I been a
man, a real man, I
would have done
something mischievous. Had
I been a man…
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